Bobby Valentine Rumors

The Red Sox met with Brewers hitting coach Dale Sveum yesterday to discuss the possibility of managing in 2012. Sveum obtained a job offer later in the day, but it was from the Cubs, not the Red Sox. Boston GM Ben Cherington now seems prepared to expand his managerial search. Here’s the latest…

The Red Sox haven't scheduled a formal interview with Valentine or arranged second interviews with other candidates, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com.

Cherington and Valentine met early on in the process, according to Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald (Twitterlinks). Larry Lucchino has also met with Valentine. Silverman reports that Blue Jays first base coach Torey Lovullo will get a second interview for the position.

Valentine has met with at least one Red Sox owner and will meet with the others, according to Rosenthal and Morosi (on Twitter). Interest between Valentine and the Red Sox appears mutual, according to ESPNBoston.com's Gordon Edes (on Twitter).

The Red Sox will take a breather before continuing the managerial search, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).

Cherington says his bosses did not undercut him during the process, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (on Twitter). "Absolutely not. I don't know where that comes from," he said.

The Red Sox haven't ruled out former MLB manager Bobby Valentine, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The FOX reporters say Tigers third base coach Gene Lamont made a strong impression with the Red Sox and note that Lamont's previous managerial experience may play in his favor.

"I don't know that that's accurate," said team president Larry Lucchino when asked if their search will consist of more experienced candidates, reports Rosenthal (Twitterlinks). "We're not in any rush," added Lucchino."[Terry Francona] was hired first week of December."

A source tells Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports that the Red Sox aren't out of the running for Sveum just yet, and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports hears that they could still hire from their original group of candidates even if they expand the search (Twitterlinks).

The Red Sox aren't prepared to offer Sveum a managerial position at this time, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. The team expects Sveum to accept the Cubs' offer.

Dodgers third base coach Tim Wallach and Rays bench coach Dave Martinez won't be part of Boston's search if the Red Sox do expand their list of candidates, according to WEEI.com's Rob Bradford.

Peter Gammons of MLB Network suggests the Red Sox owners are prioritizing experience in the ongoing managerial search. “What a laugh,” Gammons writes after pointing out that all great managers start somewhere (Twitter link).

Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald heard earlier on in the process that Ryne Sandberg is a candidate to watch (Twitter link).

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says Boston's decision to decline Terry Francona's options for 2012-13 after their late-season collapse set in motion "a series of unfortunate events."

The Twins finish the season with 99 losses, their most since 1982, and will officially select second in next year’s draft. Here's a sampling of links from the AL Central on the night that Minnesota avoided loss #100:

The Indians announced that Sandy Alomar Jr. will become the club's bench coach in 2012. Tim Tolman, who was Manny Acta's bench coach this year, will transition into another role because of health reasons.

White Sox GM Kenny Williams told Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times that he "absolutely" has a preferred candidate to succeed Ozzie Guillen as manager. Alomar Jr., Rays bench coach Dave Martinez and even Red Sox manager Terry Francona are candidates for the job, according to Van Schouwen.

Former Mets manager Bobby Valentine could return to the organization after all. Valentine has spoken with serious financial backers about bidding to buy part of the Mets, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. Valentine says he's interested in the possibility of owning part of the team.

"I'’ve talked to a number of people interested in purchasing part of the New York Mets, but I'’m not formally with any group that is actively pursuing this venture," Valentine told Rubin.

The Wilpon family is open to selling a minority share in the club, as it faces a $1 billion lawsuit and financial instability. When the Mets needed financial support last fall, they borrowed $25MM from MLB.

Valentine was a candidate for a number of managerial openings last year, though he wasn't a finalist for the Mets position. Terry Collins beat Bob Melvin and Chip Hale for the job in November.

Though Sandy Alderson is open to the idea of holding onto Reyes and David Wright over the long term, he also "would prefer not to give out many 'second-generation' long-term contracts for six-year free agents," reports MLB.com's Anthony DiComo. For the record, Wright's contract runs through 2012 and is worth $29MM, plus the Mets have a $16MM club option on the third baseman for 2013.

Dave Jauss and Bob Melvin will interview for the manager's job on Thursday, reports Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. Rubin adds that Wally Backman and Chip Hale are also expected to be interviewed in the near future. (both Twitter links)

Bobby Valentine's chances of managing the Mets are "next to nil," says Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman. With just the Mets and Pirates (who apparently have their finalists chosen) in the market for a new manager, it appears that Valentine's return to a major league dugout will have to wait until at least partway through the 2011 season.

New Mets GM Sandy Alderson is going into his new position with an open mind and the understanding that he has a lot of work ahead of him, writes Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated. While we've already heard that J.P. Ricciardi and Paul DePodesta could join Alderson in Queens, Heyman suggests that another one of the GM's former co-workers could make the trip as well. A's executive Grady Fuson could possibly join the Mets front office, though Alderson has suggested to some friends that he'll remain in Oakland. Even Omar Minaya could return to the club in some capacity as he has a relationship with Alderson and "a fondness" for owner Fred Wilpon. Let's see what else Heyman has for us..

Earlier this week Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wondered if the Brewers could afford Bobby Valentine, a fair concern considering the team's limited budget and the ex-manager's rumored seven-figure salary at ESPN. However, owner Mark Attanasio could be willing to shell out the big bucks to land Bobby V as he is said to be concerned about ticket sales slumping following two losing seasons. Valentine would certainly qualify as a dynamic hire and could make enough of a splash to boost attendance and TV revenues.

Former Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes is believed to have several opportunities after winning the silver medal in the Mets' GM search. We learned earlier this week that Byrnes could wind up in San Diego due to his ties to the club's front office and most notably owner Jeff Moorad. Heyman says that Byrnes could land with the Padres even if DePodesta doesn't head east for a gig with the Mets.

After firing pitching coach Dave Eiland, the Yankees are in the market for a replacement. One possibility for the job is Rick Kranitz, who was the pitching coach for Joe Girardi in Florida.

Nationals manager Jim Riggleman says he wants Adam Dunn to re-sign in Washington, but points out that "there's going to be some pretty good talent out there" if Dunn leaves, according to Ben Goessling of MASNSports (on Twitter).

Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel hears that the Brewers are open to hiring managerial candidates Bob Melvin and Joey Cora, though they’ll likely talk to Bobby Valentine about a potential deal (Twitter link).

In his latest piece for Newsday, Ken Davidoff notes that Bud Selig's job as commissioner occasionally involves making recommendations for teams searching for general managers. Selig recommended Jack Zduriencik when the Mariners were looking for a GM two years ago, and, more recently, gave Fred Wilpon a list of suggestions for the Mets. Given the "close ties" between Selig and Wilpon, the commissioner's backing of Sandy Alderson could carry significant weight. Here are the other items of interest from Davidoff's article:

Although he has interviewed for multiple managerial positions, Bobby Valentine may end up back at ESPN next year rather than in a major league dugout. The Mets are still a possibility for Valentine, but if Alderson becomes the GM, he figures to make a cheaper, lower-profile hire.

Potential free agent Hisanori Takahashi is open to remaining a reliever, meaning he won't necessarily seek out a situation where he has a chance to start.

The last report we heard on Takahashi suggested that he'd prefer to remain a Met. However, Davidoff indicates the Yankees, Phillies, and Dodgers also "intrigue" the Japanese lefty.

Here's the latest news concerning managerial vacancies, with more to come..

Brewers

Bobby Valentine has had "conversations" with the Brewers but has yet to have a formal interview, according to the manager when he was a guest on SIRIUS XM's Mad Dog Radio yesterday. Bobby V added that he is unsure if he'll have another interview with Milwaukee, adding that he'll have to see what the next conversation leads to.

Meanwhile, the Brewers have asked for and received permission to talk to Nationals third-base coach Pat Listach, two baseball sources tell MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Listach, who managed in the Cubs' farm system for four seasons, will interview with GM Doug Melvin on Tuesday.

Blue Jays

In his interview with Russo, Valentine also said that he does not expect to have a follow-up conversation with Toronto. Yesterday we learned that the Blue Jays are looking into a whole lot of potential candidates for their managerial post.

Here's the latest on a pair of big-name managers, with more details to come throughout the day:

Mariners

The Mariners told Bobby Valentine that he is no longer a candidate for their managerial opening, according to Larry Stone of the Seattle Times. The Mariners may be nearing a decision, writes Stone. Eric Wedge, Lloyd McClendon, Cecil Cooper, Clint Hurdle and Daren Brown are possible candidates. John Gibbons also heard that he isn't getting the job, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).

Eric Wedge did "very, very" well in his interview with the Mariners, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter link).

Cardinals

The Cardinals are in daily contact with Tony La Russa, but it's not clear which way he's leaning, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). However, the AP reports (via ESPN) that talks are going well between the two sides. Pitching coach Dave Duncan knows that he'd like to return to St. Louis for at least three more seasons, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The Blue Jays are searching for the successor to Cito Gaston, and they're not rushing the process. An unnamed source points out to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that the Blue Jays "want to get it right" (Twitter link). Here are the details on the team's search for a new manager, plus other notes: